Back in KL for year two. Arrived a week before Heidi as I need to be here for our new teacher orientation. Jet-lag is always a side-effect of traveling so far….your body doesn’t seem to want to adjust to the new time zone, it rebels against you flipping day and night. I had heard that exercise can help curtail the effects of Jet Lag…so the day I landed I went off on a bit of a run. Same thing the next day and presto, body seemed to say, “Okay, enough with this running, I’ll adjust if you will just stand still !!!!”

I’m preparing to run two half marathons this year…the Kuala Lumpur Marathon (half) in October and this truly amazing half at Ankor Wat in Cambodia. You run by these amazing temples and the proceeds from the race goes to land-mine victims. These senseless devices are still killing and maiming people to this day.

Preparing for these runs is a challenge in the Malaysian tropical heat.

Pros of running in Malaysia
1. Lots of places to run, varied terrain. Sites to the downtown area, the sun coming up and just touching the tips of the towers. Running by new neighborhoods.
2. The smells…nothing like running under a line of Frangipani Trees….the blossoms fill the air with this amazing fragrance. The air after a rain….good smell no matter where you are.
3. Surprisingly quite a number of runners and a large selection of races/runs throughout the year…even organized clubs.
4. Of course, the health benefits

Cons of running in Malaysia
1. The heat and humidity. Really can zap your energy. You need to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate and I need to be sure to take my rest days to recover. I choose to run early in the morning when it is a bit cooler (4:00 or 5:00…gets you up and going for the day!!!)
2. The smells….nothing like running by a lake that smells of sewer.
3. Finding shoes….had to bring several pairs of size 13 shoes from the USA….just cannot find the right size here in KL
4. You have to watch where you step…lots of holes into gutters, you have to keep your eyes on the ground. On the roads you have to remember that cars have the right of way in this country…don’t expect them to stop or to get out of your way. Use caution.

Heidi and I are starting year two. There are so many pros to working overseas…the travel, the food, the people, the culture, the work and compensation….but if any of you are contemplating doing something similar, think long and hard about what you are leaving behind. It is HARD, HARD, HARD to be away from family and friends, so incredibly hard. Facebook, Skype, FaceTime, phone calls, e-mails….they are all nice and so much better than what we had years ago, but not the same as being there. There are tradeoffs in everything we do, but this is by far the most difficult aspect of being overseas. HARD !!!!

I just had an amazing dinner with our “NEWBIES”(what we affectionally call our new faculty) at Dun Tai Fung, a very famous Chinese noodle and dumpling spot. This is my first class of teachers that I was responsible in hiring. I’m so proud of the way they have come in and embraced this new environment. They are fearless…they all already have places to live and cars to drive…and they are zipping all over the city without a GPS. Quite a few have already tried Durian!!!! Yes, fearless would be a descriptor I would use to describe this group…and NICE. We pride ourselves in hiring “nice” people. They love life, love teaching and kids, they love learning, and they love to have fun. I see great things for this group !!!!

Well, this year we hope to travel to Cambodia, to Hong Kong, Indonesia (Lombok and the Gilly Islands), possibly Vietnam….and of course we will write about our experiences. Thanks for joining us last year and as we head into our second year. Nice to have you along for the run !!!